Przemek narrowed his decision down to
California and
Gonzaga. He committed to Gonzaga on May 29, 2012. For his freshman season he was behind star Canadian center
Kelly Olynyk, a future lottery pick in the
2013 NBA draft. In the 2013–14 season Karnowski averaged 10.4 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game as the Bulldogs' starting center. As a junior, he averaged 11 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1 block per game. The surgery followed a prolonged episode of back pain so severe that by the time of the operation, it took him over an hour to get out of bed and perform normal morning activities; he was also unable to walk without crutches. He developed an infection after undergoing the surgery and lost roughly . Karnowski's recovery proceeded ahead of schedule; while he was told he would be unable to perform any strenuous activities for ten months post-operation, he was running after seven months. For the rest of his Gonzaga career, the team's training staff placed him on a customized conditioning program to protect his back, and he did not participate in any basketball-related activity outside of games and scheduled practices. On May 24, 2016, Gonzaga announced that Karnowski had received a medical redshirt and would return to the school for one final college season in 2016–17. Karnowski became the active leader in
Division I basketball games played with 143, passing
Nigel Hayes (
Wisconsin),
Nate Britt and
Isaiah Hicks (both
North Carolina). Karnowski would be surpassed later that season by Hayes and
Duke's Amile Jefferson, and passed both in a win in Gonzaga's Final Four matchup with
South Carolina. After the
2017 West Coast Conference men's basketball tournament, Karnowski became the
NCAA's career leader in wins with 132, passing
Shane Battier (131). During his senior season he was nominated to the
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award and Senior CLASS Award. Karnowski graduated with a
Bachelor of Education in
Sport Management and
MBA and one of the highest
GPAs in the
WCC, for which he was named to the 2016-17 WCC Men's Basketball All-Academic Team. In the
2009 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, with a 13-point performance and two crucial baskets, Karnowski led his team to a 77–73 victory in the NCAA tournament semifinal, giving Gonzaga their first ever appearance in the national championship game. During his tenure with Gonzaga Bulldogs, Karnowski became a fan favorite not only because his skills, but also because of his outgoing and friendly attitude as well as his signature beard. Some fans even wear fake beards during games to impersonate Karnowski. His name is found difficult to spell for basketball fans from the US, thus he was given fancy nicknames like "Shem" (short for "Przemysław"), "Big Shem," or "Mount Karnowski" (in reference to his size). His performances are also widely recognized in his home country of
Poland. Tens of thousands of Polish fans watched his March Madness surge overnight, because of the time difference.
College statistics ==Professional career==